Before Bleachers stopped by the VMA pre-show last month to perform "Don't Take the Money," band leader Jack Antonoff said his goal with that particular mini-show was to transform the feel of the gig from an awards show to a "rock club." That sense of celebration permeates pretty much every Bleachers song, even the ones that lyrically point to some heavy topics (loss, depression, etc.).

That's why it's so novel to see Antonoff and some Bleachers band-mates stop by NPR Music's storied Tiny Desk for a gentler performance of that same song — as well as "Everybody Lost Somebody" and "Foreign Girls" — that retains a big spirit even without the two sets of drums Bleachers uses onstage at a regular show.

This kind of stripped-down environment suits Bleachers, and the band is set to appear on MTV Unplugged this Friday, September 15 at 8 p.m. ET bringing acoustic versions of its bombastic anthems to the stage. Check out a clip of them playing "I Miss Those Days" below.